【推荐1】Not all tasks of the day are inspiring, fun or exciting. But you still have to wash those dishes and take care of those routine tasks at work or in school. So what can you do not to get lost in procrastination (拖延)?

I’ll share how I do it, how I get some motivation and find more pleasure in what may seem to be a boring task.

Instead of focusing your mind on how boring a task may feel, focus your thoughts on why you are doing this and how good it will feel when you are done with it. If needed, sit down for a few minutes, close your eyes and see in your mind. Then go to work with that motivation and those positive feelings in your body.

Do it attentively.     1    Focus 100% on just the work with all your senses — how it feels, looks and smells — as you are scrubbing it and nothing else. Don’t get lost in daydreams. If you are just there, I have found that even such a simple task becomes more enjoyable and something that can bring inner calm rather than distress.

Make a deal with yourself and set a timer for 10 minutes. It is often easier to do tasks like these in small bursts. So make a deal with yourself to just spend 10 minutes on your reading or cleaning the house.     2    When the timer rings you can continue doing it if you feel like it. (This often happens to me because getting started is the hard part.) Or you can stop and do something more interesting instead.

Create a pleasurable distraction. If possible, try to listen to the radio, your favourite songs, an audio book or watch a movie or TV episode while doing your boring task.     3    I often listen to music or watch an episode of The Simpsons while doing the dishes or other routine work at home.

    4    Take a walk in the sun. Move on to a more fun or creative task at work or in school. Have a tasty treat. This habit can make it easier to get started and to keep going each day. Because you know that you can look forward to not just being done and the long-term pay-off from that but also your immediate reward right after you are finished.

A．When you are done with your task then reward yourself.

B．Make sure you only rest for 10 minutes.

C．Or you can work harder and start an even bigger project.

D．Set a kitchen timer and say to yourself that you only have to do this work for 10 minutes.

E．When you sort papers, do the laundry or do the dishes, be fully there.

F．You don’t always have to do just one thing at a time in silence.

【推荐2】Last week when I was reading at home, my younger sister rushed in and told me an old man was lying on the ground in front of our building. I immediately took my first-aid kit and ran downstairs. He was suffering a slight heart attack. And I performed CPR on him. Luckily, an ambulance came soon and he was taken to hospital. Later that day I was told by the hospital what I did helped rescue the old man's life. I was happy to hear that.     1    There were many people who wanted to help around the old man then. Yet no one performed first aid on him as they hadn't attended a first-aid course.

    2    Here are my reasons.

You can gain the knowledge, skills and confidence to act in an emergency. You never know when you might need them — you could be at home, at work, at school or on holiday. If you have the skills, you can act whenever you're needed.

    3    For your family, your neighbors or the broader community, having more people with first-aid skills helps build a stronger and more harmonious community.

You can stay safe at work.     4    With first-aid knowledge you can create a safe work environment and help meet your workplace's safety requirements.

It’s helpful to your future career. The first-hand experience you gain through learning first aid and using your skills could help you decide if you want to pursue a career in the health profession.     5    

A．Yet at the same time I felt a bit sad.

B．I received a phone call from the hospital.

C．You can be a resource for your community.

D．Illness and injury can happen anywhere,anytime.

E．You can take first-aid courses in your community for free.

F．I think everyone should learn at least some basic first-aid techniques,which can be very vital.

G．It also shows your commitment to a career in the health profession when it comes to applying for jobs.

【推荐3】Bradley McConachie, a 33-year-old Australian is actually a student in international relations completing his PhD through Griffith University. He came to Beijing for a cooperative research at Beijing University two years ago. Such an academic life was colorful with a chance offered by the cultural exchanges project, “I’m in China”.

Bradley was lucky to win the most “likes” for his photo story about his life in China and became one of 20 winners to visit locations by the project this summer. All the winners’ experiences were filmed to produce a reality show, My Chinese Working Day, which will be broadcast by mid-September.

Bradley was chosen to work as a recreational manager for a Chinese wedding. The film crew took them to many “amazing sites” and the staff at the resort taught them a lot about how to incorporate modern Chinese features while still keeping traditional customs.

“I would have to say two things stick out as the most memorable: the helicopter ride and talking with the staff at the hotel about how they organize weddings here in China,” he said. That was Bradley’s first time to be in a helicopter, and he was too absorbed with the “stunning” view of the coastline.

“I think it is so important to show other Australians the different landscapes China has to offer. I think so many Australians, when they think about China, imagine the historical sites of Beijing and the exciting things to see in Shanghai but have no idea about other beautiful places, like Sanya or the many other places people have been taken to in this TV series. It was nice to experience these little touches. I was happy to be a part of that experience!” Bradley said.

1. What made Bradley’s life more colorful?

A．Obtaining his PhD.

B．The cultural exchanges project.

C．The research about Beijing University.

D．The interest in international relations.

2. Why was Bradley given the chance?

A．He produced the reality show.	B．His life in China was interesting.
C．He was one of the top 20 winners.	D．He liked photo stories most.

3. Which of the following best explains “stunning” in Paragraph 4?

A．Fantastic.

B．Confusing.

C．Plain.

D．Extreme.

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．It’s difficult to produce moving TV series.

B．Beijing and Shanghai are historical sites.

C．Bradley was impressed by the view of the coastline.

D．Many Australians know little about China.

【推荐1】Just 11 minutes of moderate- to-vigorous intensity aerobic (有氧的) activity per day could lower your risk of cancer, cardiovascular (心血管的) disease or premature death, a large new study has found.

Aerobic activities include walking, dancing, running, jogging, cycling and swimming. You can calculate the intensity level of an activity by your heart rate and how hard you re breathing as you move. Generally, being able to talk but not sing during an activity would make it moderate (中等的) intensity. Vigorous intensity is marked by the inability to carry on a conversation.

Higher levels of physical activity have been associated with lower rates of premature death and chronic disease, according to past research. But how the risk levels for these outcomes are affected by the amount of exercise someone gets has been more difficult to determine. To explore this impact, scientists largely from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom looked at data from 196 studies, amounting to more than 30 million adult participants who were followed for 10 years on average.

The study mainly focused on participants who had done the minimum recommended amount of 150 minutes of exercise per week, or 22 minutes per day. Compared with inactive participants, adults who had done 150 minutes of moderate- to-vigorous aerobic physical activity per week had a 31% lower risk of dying from any cause, a 29% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and a 15% lower risk of dying from cancer.

Furthermore, the study states even people who got just half the minimum recommended amount of physical activity benefited. Accumulating 75 minutes of moderate -intensity activity per week—about 11 minutes of activity per day—was associated with a 23% lower risk of early death. Getting active for 75 minutes on a weekly basis was also enough to reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease by 17% and cancer by 7%.

The findings confirm the World Health Organization’s position that doing some physical activity is better than doing none, even if you don’t get the recommended amounts of exercise.

1. What can you do in a moderate-intensity aerobic activity?

A．Have a chat.	B．Break into song.
C．Calculate its influence.	D．Adjust your mind mode.

2. Which word can best describe the findings of the new study?

A．Subjective.

B．Unclear.

C．Debatable.

D．Convincing.

3. What is the smallest recommended amount of exercise on a daily basis?

A．150 minutes.

B．75 minutes.

C．22 minutes.

D．11 minutes.

4. What message does the author seem to convey in the text?

A．Higher levels of physical activity benefit people.

B．A little exercise is better than none.

C．Physical activities must be aerobic and enough.

D．The full recommended amount of exercise matters more.

【推荐2】Strangely enough, music is no fun at all for some people. About four percent of the population is what scientists call “amusic”, people who are amusic are born without the ability to recognize or reproduce musical notes. Amusic people often cannot tell the difference between two songs. Amusics can only hear the difference between two notes if they are very far apart on the musical scale.

As a result, songs sound like noise to an amusic. Many amusics compare the sound of music to pieces of metal hitting each other. Life can be hard for amusics. Their inability to enjoy music set them apart from others. It can be difficult for other people to identify with their condition. In fact, most people cannot begin to grasp what it feels like to be amusic. Just going to a restaurant or a shopping mall can be uncomfortable or even painful. That is why many amusics intentionally stay away from places where there is music. However, this can result in withdrawal and social isolation. “I used to hate parties,” says Margaret, a seventy-year-old woman who only recently discovered that she was amusic.

By studying people like Margaret, scientists are finally learning how to identify this unusual condition.

Scientists say that the brains of amusics are different from the brains of people who can appreciate music. The difference is complex, but it doesn’t involve defective hearing. Amusics can understand other nonmusical sounds well. They also have no problems understanding ordinary speech. Scientists compare amusics to people who just can’t see certain colors.

Many amusics are happy when their condition is finally diagnosed. For years, Margaret felt embarrassed about her problem with music. Now she knows that she is not alone. There is a name for her condition. That makes it easier for her to explain. “When people invite me to a concert, I just say, No, thanks, I am amusic,” says Margaret. “I just wish I had learned to say that when I was seventeen and not seventy. ”

1. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE about amusics?

A．They are born without the ability to recognize musical notes.

B．They prefer to make metal noise rather than listen to music.

C．They hate music and often keep off places where there is music.

D．They are set apart from others as they fail to enjoy music.

2. How do scientists finally identify the unusual condition of amusic?

A．By sort and compare some data.	B．By carrying out a lot of experiments.
C．By drawing on research results of others.	D．By studying people with amusic.

3. What does the underlined word most probably mean in the passage?

A．detective

B．acute

C．imperfect

D．artificial

4. In the last paragraph, Margaret expressed her wish that ________.

A．her problem with amusic had been diagnosed earlier

B．she hadn't felt embarrassed about her problem

C．her amusic problem could be cured as soon as possible

D．there could be a better name for her condition